Behaviour and Evolution Flashcards
What are Tinbergen’s four questions?
Causation, ontogeny, adaptation, phylogeny
Which two of TInbergen’s four questions are proximate (initial happenings)?
Causation and ontogeny
Which two of Tinbergen’s four questions are ultimate (end result)?
Adaptation and phylogeny
Another word for causation
control
another word for ontogeny
development
another word for adaptation
function
another word for phylogeny
evolution
What is an ethogram?
Origin
What is the nervous system made up of?
CNS, PNS, ANS
What does the endocrine system do?
Collection of glands that produce hormones into the blood stream of vertebrates
What is the neuroendocrine response?
the sets of neurons, glands and non-endocrine tissues, and the neurochemicals,hormones, and humoral signals they produce and receive, that function in an integrated manner to collectively regulate a physiological or behavioral state
What did Claude Bernard call homeostasis?
Milieu intérieur
What is an external biotic factor?
A living organism
What is an example of a biotic factor?
Sex ratio, population density
What is an external abiotic factor?
Not derived from living organisms
What is an example of an abiotic factor?
Light, temperature, tide, landmarks
Animal example about population density
Desert locus, are green but then bump into each other when trying to eat and then turn brown
Sex-ratio determined behaviour fish example
Clown fish are all born male and the biggest turns female
Lorenz found that geese had an instinct to do what?
Imprint
Example of a fixed-action pattern
Geese roll their neck to collect an egg if it rolls from the nest. however, they cannot stop this action midway through and must finish it
What is a sign stimulus?
A part of a stimulus configuration that is external to the animal and relevant to a particular response. These essential cues needed to allow a fixed-action pattern to be performed.
What is a supernormal stimulus?
Elicits an exaggerated response. This can be territorial (e.g. red breast on robin)
Behavioural development by chance- temperature example
Crocodiles have a higher proportion of male offspring in a hotter temperature.
Sea turtles have a higher proportion of female offspring in a hotter temperature
What is habituation?
An aspect of learning in which repeated applications of a stimulus result in decreased responsiveness
